Termite Treatment

Termites are the pest that costs Indiana homeowners the most money, and almost none of it is covered by insurance. The good news is that modern treatment is effective and lasting when it is done properly. Here is how to spot them, and how we treat them.

Termites in Indiana

The termite we deal with in Central Indiana is the eastern subterranean termite. Colonies live in the soil, sometimes with hundreds of thousands of workers, and travel up into a structure through cracks in the slab, expansion joints, plumbing penetrations, and mud tubes built up the foundation. They eat the cellulose in framing, subfloors, trim, and drywall paper, staying hidden inside the wood and leaving the outer surface intact.

They need moisture and contact with soil, which is why damp crawl spaces, wood-to-ground contact, mulch against siding, and leaking foundations are the properties that get them first.

Signs of Termites

• Swarmers in spring. Winged termites emerging indoors, usually in March through May on a warm day after rain, often near windows. Discarded wings on sills are a classic sign.
• Mud tubes. Pencil-width tubes of dried mud on the foundation, piers, crawl space walls, or plumbing. Break one open and live workers confirm an active colony.
• Hollow or blistered wood. Baseboards, door frames, or subfloors that sound hollow when tapped, or paint that looks bubbled with nothing behind it.
• Sagging floors or sticking doors and windows in a home that did not have those problems before.
• Frass is not a sign here. Subterranean termites do not push out sawdust-like pellets. If you see that, think carpenter ants or another wood borer.

How We Treat Termites

1. Thorough inspection. Foundation inside and out, crawl space, basement, garage, attached structures, and any wood in contact with soil. We look for tubes, damage, swarmer evidence, and the conditions that invite termites.
2. Treatment plan for your foundation type. Slab, crawl space, and basement construction each call for a different approach, and we explain what we recommend and why before any work starts.
3. Liquid barrier treatment. A non-repellent termiticide applied to the soil around the foundation, at plumbing penetrations, and through the slab where needed. Termites pass through it without detecting it and carry it back to the colony.
4. Bait station monitoring. Where a liquid treatment is not practical, or as an added layer, in-ground bait stations placed around the property are checked on a schedule. Workers feed on the bait and share it through the colony.
5. Conducive condition fixes. Wood-to-soil contact, mulch depth, grading, and crawl space moisture get flagged so the property stops inviting the next colony.
6. Follow-up inspections. Termite protection is a program, not a single visit. Annual re-inspection is how the treatment stays effective.

Buying or Selling a Home?

Lenders frequently require a wood-destroying insect inspection before closing. We perform termite inspections for real estate transactions across our service area. Call the office to schedule; they are usually quick to arrange.

Preventing Termites

• Keep wood off the ground. Deck posts, siding, and stored lumber should not touch soil.
• Keep mulch shallow and pulled back a few inches from the foundation. Mulch against siding is a termite highway.
• Fix moisture. Downspouts that dump at the foundation, crawl spaces without vapor barriers, and leaking hose bibs all keep the soil damp where termites want it.
• Get an inspection every year if you have had termites before or live in an older home with a crawl space.

Termite Treatment Questions